Corryong, Easter 2007

Introduction

It has been a couple of years since I have rejoiced in the splendour of the high country and Murray River in the Corryong area. Corryong is situated in the north-east corner of Victoria, 120km east of Albury/Wodonga on the Murray Valley Highway at the headwaters of the Murray River. Its proximity to the breathtaking Australian Alps, together with its legendary "Man from Snowy River" fame make it a popular destination for visitors seeking to explore, experience and discover some of Australia's less commercialized iconic attractions. Corryong is famous as the final resting place of Jack Riley, considered by many to be the inspiration for the hero in A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson's poem The Man from Snowy River. The upper reaches of the Murray River remain almost the same as when Paterson visited in 1890 and was moved to immortalize it in his famous poem. A paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, Corryong is a popular destination for rock climbing, rafting and horse riding, and a breathtaking natural environment for bush walks, 4WD tours, cycling and fishing. 

Participants of this trip were:

Glenn & James

Al, Lyn, Tegan and Callum

Adam, Kirsten and Rumah

Kerry, Nat, Keely, Haley and Boonie

Shannon, Nicole, Tanzime and Blade

Day One Thursday 5th April 2007 – Rowville to Yea:

Having had to work during the day, James and I were still able to hook the Tambo Camper onto the commodore and hit the road by 3.30pm. The traffic through to Lilydale was fairly heavy, by once we reached Coldstream, everyone continued onto Healsville and we turned left towards Yarra Glen. We in fact reached Dad's property out of Yea in great time and after sorting through a couple of problems Dad was having with some gear, I gave the camper its first wash since our big trip last year - thank goodness for bore water. James watched the movie "Borat" as Dad cooked dinner on the BBQ, and in between the bird calls and traffic noise, we could hear James raucous laughter.

With dinner served and consumed, we all sat back and watched the TV, waiting anxiously for the football to come on at 8.30pm. Brisbane Lions were playing St. Kilda, and with James being a Lions supporter, and having had a bet with Nicole, a Saints supporter, from my work James was keen for a victory. It was starting to get late, and with a big drive tomorrow, I didn't feel like a late night. I kept cheating by receiving the latest scores via SMS on my mobile, so knew that the Lions were winning by a healthy margin. The game on the TV was actually a quarter behind. It was 11.00pm before James and I finally went to bed, and I knew I would be tired in the morning.

Day Two Friday 6th April 2007 – Yea to Corryong:

It was an early morning rise as the light was streaming through the curtains and I could hear the traffic on the Melba Highway already. Dad and I snuck around the house until 7.00am, when I woke James. It was a bit of a struggle, due to the late night before hand, but eventually James got moving. I rolled up his swag and packed the car and we hit the road at 7.30am. The traffic was light as we reached Yea and the collectors for the Good Friday Appeal had the streets covered as we reached the turn off to Mansfield. A donation was given, that allowed us to turn with ease, as the flow through traffic was held up. Towing the camper with the commodore was a dream, and the power at my disposal enabled me to cruise nicely at the speed limit, overtaking the slower vehicles with ease.

Bonnie Doon came and went and we soon reached the Benalla turn off. I was stuck behind a garbage truck after Swanpool, but he was travelling the speed limit so I was not concerned. Before reaching Benalla, we turned right onto the Hume Freeway and soon set the cruise control to 105kmh, enjoying the drive to Wodonga. The new Albury bypass was now open, and so I missed the turn off to Wodonga, meaning I had to then take the turn off to Albury and drive the back streets to get back to Wodonga. Being Good Friday, the first Caltex Service Station was closed, so I had to search around town, whilst SMSing Lyn before I was directed to one on the Melbourne Road. After filling up and having a toilet break, we continued on through Wodonga and headed towards Tallangatta. Again having the commodore enabled me to cruise along past Tallangatta and into the forested hills as we gained altitude and wound our way towards Corryong. The traffic was light, so it was just after midday that James and I arrived at the Mt. Mittamatite Caravan Park.

After paying for our site, and a deposit on the toilet key, we were directed to where the rest of the group were. The Grierson's, Adam and Kir were looking very relaxed as I was guided into our site. The camper was quickly unhitched with minimal fuss, having the assistance of Al and Adam aided in this, and I was soon banging in the pegs as the others waited, eager to hit the road to the Jingellic Pub for lunch. Just as the first beer for the day was cracked, the Moggs crew and Shannon and Nicole arrived. They had already eaten, and Kerry was not to keen to have an audience on his first set up of the Tambo, so we packed into two cars and left them to it. We arrived at the Jingellic Pub with heaps of time to spare, as lunches finish at the unusual time of 1.45pm. The campground behind the pub was busy as usual and the local CFA was soon around collecting for the Good Friday Appeal. Our meals arrived promptly and were washed down with a couple of pots before we decided to head back to camp, instead of settling in for a lovely Friday session in the bush.

By the time we had arrived back at camp, it was Tambo city as Moggs and S&N both owned Tambo Campers as well. Happy Hour was closing in, as preparations were made for dinner and the fire was started. The owners of the Caravan Park always look after us, and soon a wheel barrow full of wood was dumped by the fire. As we all settled in and started to relax, the sun began to drop from the sky and it was soon time to start our dinner. I had prepared a large portion of bolognaise sauce back at home, and being two days old, was ready to be re-heated and consumed. As the pasta slowly cooked on the gas stoves, the sauce was also heated, with an intoxicating aroma. Shannon donated some home made garlic bread as an appetiser as the lights came out to assist with the final preparations. The parmesan cheese packet was cracked and then dinner was served. Considering the amount of food there was, very little remained as the dishes, consisting of paper plates and plastic forks were dispensed with, leaving only a couple of pots to be washed in the morning.

The moon and stars took over the sky as we all settled around the warming fire. It was not as cold as expected, but there was still a chill in the air. As the night grew, people began to wander off to bed until Al, Nat and I were the only ones left to stoke the fire. As midnight neared, it was time for the three of us to go our separate ways and hop into bed as we did have a rather long day ahead of us tomorrow - Al was taking us to Cabramurra.

Day Three Saturday 7th April 2007 – Cabramurra:

It was another chilly morning and as the diesel generator for the hot water was out of action, it was too cold for a shower. The cold water splashed on my face did not help much, but all was well. After breakfast and some fuel top ups, we left the caravan park at 9.30am with James travelling with the Grierson's and me with Adam and Kir. The four vehicles headed out of Corryong before turning right onto the road to Khancoban. We soon crossed the magnificent Murray River and entered New South Wales before continuing on to the small town of Khancoban. This town is situated on the Khancoban Pondage that is part of the Swampy Plains River, and the water is utilised by the Murray One Power Station as well as boating. Once Shannon had filled up the Patrol's fuel tank, we headed back the way we had come before turning off onto the road to Cabramurra. We soon started to climb, and the road became narrower as it twisted and turned its way up. First stop was Tooma Reservoir a dam storing water from the Tooma River for use at the Tumut One Power Station. The water level was extremely low, and the wasp count was extremely high as photos were taken of the reservoir, the signs and of the kids trying to push over a massive rock.

The wasps made things difficult when trying to get into the vehicles but we were all soon sorted and on our way again. As we reached the Snow Gums height, I began to recognise the area. I asked Al if there was an old hut in the area, and soon enough, around the next bend, there it was. Wheelers Hut was built by "Wingy" Wheeler for grazing, around 1900, and moved to the present site in the 1920's. He was known as Wingy because he had one arm, but could ride, smoke and crack a stock whip all at the same time, with that one arm. Wheelers is a classic horizontal wood slab hut, with two rooms, two verandas and a roof of iron. The hearth is a slab of stone and the chimney is of iron. The cameras were out, as were the kids who had a ball running around, in and through the hut, screaming like banshees. We continued on and as the road wound its way down, we reached Tumut Pond Reservoir. This reservoir is a dammed section of the Tumut River, with the water being utilised by both Tumut Power Stations. The water levels were low here also, but we had the wasps back. The kids also tried to adopt some skinks, but they were soon released as we had to continue on.

We climbed back up the mountain and soon reached Cabramurra. Australia's highest town at 1480 metres, was built by the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority as a base for the northern administration of the scheme. The town is still populated by workers of the two Tumut Power Stations. Al used to live here in the 1990's as he worked on Tumut One Power Station as an engineer. Cabramurra was generally wasp free, so we all decided to have lunch. It was a beautiful day, and the wind had stayed away, so it was very enjoyable sitting in the town square watching the coming and goings of travellers. Shannon and Nicole decided to head home the way we had come and soon left us once lunch was over. We headed up to the lookout, and the views were spectacular with such clear skies. Smoke in the distance showed where controlled burning was taking place, but the smoke did not detract the views. Next stop was the Tumut Two Power Station but there were no tours operating so it was all closed up. The Tumut Power Station of the Snowy Scheme are unique in that they are both entirely underground, the only ones of there kind in the world.

The road took us towards Tumbarumba as we snaked our way down the mountain, crossing the Tumut River, empty of water as we finally exited the Kosciuszko National Park. Once in the plains, it did not take us long to get back to Corryong. The fires was stoked as soon as we returned, as tonight was the night of "The Great Lamb Cook Up" between Adam and I. We had both supplied butterflied legs of lamb that had been marinating in different sauces for a few days. Once the coals had developed and the hot plate was warmed, the cooking began. The wonderful aroma of marinated meat soon filled the air, and the juices in my mouth began to flow. It was dark by the time the meat was ready to be carved, and this was done right on the hotplate. Kir and Lyn had prepared the accompaniments of garlic sauce, pita bread, cheese and lettuce and we were all soon munching on souvlakis. The meat was divine  and the "Cook Up" deemed a success, with very little left once we had all eaten. Next job was to relax by the fire, and with an early start planned for the morning, I hit the sack early.

Day Four Sunday 8th April 2007 – Mount Pinnabar:

It was a slow morning, but an early one, as the kids awoke to find that they had been visited by the Easter Bunny over night. With screams of "look what I got", "look what I found", "look there's another one" I left the safety of the camper and hit the showers. Al had taken the kids to get some pancakes that we being cooked up by the caravan park owners so it was quiet in camp when I returned. The time soon reached 9.00am and it was time to hit the road. The Moggs crew and Shannon and Nicole decided to have a quiet day in camp and so were not joining us on our trip up to Mount Pinnabar.

Driving through Corryong, we made a slight detour via the back streets and front yards of the local residents before turning onto the Back Thowgla Road. We continued along this road until we reached the junction with the Thowgla Road. Proceeding straight ahead, we travelled along the Hall Track, that took us through a farm gate and some paddocks before we started to climb. On the way up the hill, we noticed a lovely table and chairs that had obviously been erected by the property owners to sit and watch the sun sets on a summers evening. Passing through the last gate, the vehicles tyres were aired down before we continued the climb along Hall Track to the Mount Elliot Ridge Track. Once we reached this track, we turned right and followed this track along the ridge . The views on both side were magnificent and the track was a simple affair. Adam spotted a couple of dead wild dogs strung from trees, as looking at the size of them it was obvious they didn't suffer for food. We soon reached the junction with Grays Track and Davis Track and we turned left onto Davis Track.

The map stated this track as being "steep" but in the dry, it was a breeze. I hopped out and scaled my way ahead of the vehicles to video them coming down, but the pictures showed no justice to the actual steepness of the track. We next turned right onto Bunroy Road and followed this dirt road onto Bunroy Station, private property that contained some tracks running through it. We stopped here for a smoko before proceeding though a gate onto Surveyors Creek Track. Parts of this track or impassable in the wet, as well as being seasonally closed, but the dry weather meant all was safe. Surveyors Creek Track wound its way down the mountain towards the Murray River and took us to Riley's Monument. After struggling down a steep walking trail and crossing a flowing creek, we soon came upon the plaque marking when Jack Riley (The Man from Snowy River) passed away on July 14th 1914 due to heart problems. After struggling back up the steep incline to the vehicles we headed off again after a breather. Taking the Surveyors Creek Track back the way we had come, we turned left onto the Blue Gum Ridge Track. This track had some steep climbs, and took us through some of the areas seriously affected by the 2006 fires. There was little or no regrowth and it was evident that the fires that roared through here had been extremely hot. Seeing how the other ridges and valleys through the gaps in the landscape had also been affected we knew how it was impossible for the fire fighters to fight, let alone extinguish the fires in this zone.

We stopped for lunch when we reached a suitable clearing amongst the dead trees before continuing on until we reached the junction of the Playgrounds Road and the Tempest Log Road. Turning left onto the Playgrounds Road, we followed this until we reached the Link Track, followed by the Mount Pinnabar Track. Turning onto the Pinnabar Track, we climbed up to the summit of Mount Pinnibar. At 1772 metres, and a clear day, we had a magnificent 360º view or the surround mountains as well as the Snowy Mountains and Mount Kosciusko. As photos were being taken, Tegan suddenly yelled "look at this! Easter eggs!" The kids were soon running around screaming as they gathered up a number of eggs. Comments such as "I am in heaven" and "I just don't believe it" and "how did these eggs gets here" put a smile on the faces of the adults, knowing as we did the escapades of the Easter Bunny. Having taken a few more photos, and knowing time was getting away from us, we headed slowly down the rough and tumble Shady Creek Upper Track. Areas of this track were extremely over grown as nature took control after the fires of 2003. Once we crossed Cattleman Creek, we turned right onto the Wheelers Creek Log Track. This track was extremely winding and we had to stop a couple of times to let Rumah have a run around, thereby avoiding car sickness.

We soon reached the Benambra Corryong Road and turned right, following the dirt road until we reached bitumen at Staceys Bridge camping area. As the tyres were aired up again, the kids and Rumah had a run around, and the pit toilet utilised, we raced back to Corryong as the sun started to drop low in the sky. The fire was lit on our return to camp, and we discovered that Shannon and Nicole had decided to head home a day early, thereby missing the traffic. Cutlets was on the menu tonight, marinated in a tandoori paste before being cooked on the fire. After a long day on the track it was another early night, especially seeing as we had the sorrowful drive home tomorrow.

Day Five Monday 9th April 2007 – Corryong to Rowville:

The air was cool when I awoke, but the shower soon warmed me up. It was a slow pack up but Grierson's, Adam and Kir and James and I hit the road just after 9.30am. The traffic was light and we soon reached the turn off to the old wooden railway bridge built in the early 1900's for the railway that eventually brought equipment up for the Snowy Scheme. The car park was extremely small and busy, and with Al and I towing campers, it was a bit of fun trying to get out again. The traffic started to build as we reached Old Tallangatta, so we decided to turn off and see if we could find traces of the old buildings, once submerged, but now unearthed due to the dry conditions. We had no luck on finding anything but decided to continue on via the back road on our way to Bellbridge. Here a beautiful trestle bridge spans Lake Hume, and after taking some photos, we crossed the bridge before heading towards Wodonga.

After I stopped to fuel up, we found a bakery and Subway in the main street so we stopped here for lunch. After a bit of confusion and miscommunication, we found a BP so that Adam could fill up the Cruiser. Once this was done, we jumped on the Hume for the long drive home. Traffic was moderate, and I enjoyed hearing the commentary between Adam and Al as they weaved through the traffic behind me. I was getting a good run, so I couldn't understand what was going on. We all pulled off at the Broadford turn off and said our farewells to the Grierson's. The remaining two vehicles returned to the Hume and made our way into Melbourne and then out again. The new Hume bypass was a godsend, with only a bit of a hold up preceding it, due to a police car with radar parked on the side of the highway. Adam and Kir turned off at Forster Road, and again we said our goodbyes over the UHF. James and I were soon home, and it wasn't long before the camper was parked in the backyard and the car emptied of holiday gear, then refilled with work gear.

It was another fantastic weekend spent with a great group of people. It was a pleasure to meet Shannon and Nicole for the first time, and enjoy each others company so much. The weather, sights and drives were a lot of fun as was the time spent in front of the fire. I thank everyone who joined me for such a great time for both James and I. I am sure there will be a lot more fun in the future. Another special thanks has to go to the proprietors of the Mt. Mittamatite Caravan Park who again made us feel extremely welcome and allowed us to relax during our entire stay. 

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